Chapter 790: A World in Despair

While the reputation of the name struck awe into the hearts of the Heavenly Feathered Race, in another timeline, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes in a pink-tinted apartment room.

Thanks to the continuous flow of evolutionary energy, his broken true form had recovered by seventy percent—only the wound on his chest remained.

That had been inflicted by the Abyssal Annihilation, the ultimate culmination of Tarorya’s power. Its might rivaled the very principles of the world; even the fusion of divine abilities with absolute defense, the strength of the barrier between realms, had been torn apart.

What made matters worse was that this world had long fallen into a declinition era, where the principles of heaven and earth suppressed transcendent force.

Even the Innate Demon God’s unique ability to draw energy from the void was hindered; it was barely enough to sustain him, let alone restore the divine power he had expended.

All Chen Chu could do now was rely on his vitality to slowly wash away the lingering damage.

However, he didn’t mind. With a body as formidable as that of a beginning-stage titan-level colossal beast, he could suppress everything this world had to offer.

That was the advantage of having a powerful physical form. Even when unexpectedly thrown into a declining world, there was no fear of losing power all at once and ending up dominated by enemies he would have crushed with a single hand in the past.

"Next, I need to explore this world, find a way to resolve the problem of time... and find that Time Dragon..." Chen Chu murmured as he slowly stood.

When the temporal storm erupted, the Time Dragon had also been swept away, and he had no idea where it ended up. Hopefully, it was safe.

After all, it was Saixitia’s father. If something had truly happened to it, Chen Chu would feel a little bad.

"Mr. Chen... you’re out."

Just as Chen Chu opened the door and stepped into the living room, Shi Feitong, dressed in a red tunic and tight jeans, quickly stood up from the sofa.

Looking at the black-haired girl before him, who looked only sixteen or seventeen and wasn’t wearing any combat gear, Chen Chu gave a slight nod. "Mhmm, I’m out. Where’s your sister?"

Seeing the calm-faced young man with jet-black hair, Shi Feitong’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she nervously answered, "My sister is outside teaching cultivation. If you need anything, Mr. Chen, you can just tell me.

"Oh, would you like something to eat? We still have some rice, canned goods, and some Spine Dragon jerky."

Earlier, when Chen Chu had destroyed half a city with a single blow, coupled with his half-ruined face, she had been too shocked to register much.

Now, seeing him dressed simply in a white T-shirt and gray lounge pants—tall, straight-backed, and handsome like carved jade—Shi Feitong’s heart skipped a beat. It felt like love at first sight.

He’s too handsome. How can such a perfect man exist in this world? He’s a thousand times more attractive than any TV celebrity.

Especially that indescribable noble aura, like a god gazing down from above. His eyes sparkled like stars—deep, indifferent, and impossibly cool.

Though her heart cheered like a lovestruck girl, Shi Feitong kept a composed expression. Aside from a faint blush, there was no sign of her inner turmoil.

After all, she was someone who had survived the apocalypse and fought for her life against mutated monsters. She was a body enhancer.

Noticing the girl staring at him, Chen Chu indifferently replied, "I’m not hungry for now. I’m heading out for a walk."

"Mr. Chen, let me guide you."

"...Alright." Chen Chu nodded.

He did need someone to help him understand the lay of the land. Though he had previously controlled Shi Feirou’s soul to acquire some information about this world, most of it was foundational and lacked depth.

Opening the apartment door, Chen Chu’s eyes lit up.

They were situated in a cave halfway up a mountainside. Buildings and rooms lined both of the rock walls. Below, in a flat clearing the size of a football field, over thirty children, aged between ten and fifteen, sat cross-legged in meditation, cultivating. At the front stood the tall and graceful Shi Feirou.

A massive rift split the mountain overhead, letting sunlight stream in and illuminating the base with golden light.

"This place used to be a military research facility built into the mountain. It has full living quarters, leisure areas, medical stations, and research labs. Right now, there are just over ninety survivors in the base, the youngest being ten and the oldest thirty-seven.

"Everyone here practices body enhancement. The strongest are my sister and Mr. Jiang—both fifth-stage cultivators. Our food comes mostly from hunting and foraging wild vegetables.

"For spices and other supplies, we have to venture into the city to scavenge, including obsidian for power generation."

"Only ninety people?" Chen Chu raised a brow.

Since the sisters’ apartment was right by the entrance, he had merely glanced at the base upon entering. He hadn’t realized how few people were left.

Shi Feitong wryly smiled. "When the apocalypse began, there wasn’t just the mutated monsters. All wildlife became stronger and more aggressive from the virus—even bugs and poisonous insects.

"In this kind of world, normal people simply don’t stand a chance. Even hiding in a base doesn’t guarantee survival. You could be poisoned in your sleep by something crawling in.

"Since the apocalypse began three years ago, my sister and I have moved with the base dozens of times. At its peak, our group numbered over 110,000, but wave after wave of monster attacks scattered and killed most of them. Now, only this handful remains—saved only by this facility’s concealment.

"Ordinary people no longer have the right to survive in this world." As she spoke, Shi Feitong’s expression grew increasingly complex.

One could sense the despair in her words. After three years, out of billions of humans, only a few million were likely still alive, scattered across the globe and barely clinging to survival.

In truth, this was what a proper apocalyptic world should look like. Compared to the Lost World, where technology had stagnated at the level of the 1950s, the Blue Planet’s situation was far better. When the first mythical surge happened, its technological civilization had already reached the standards of the year 2000.

Moreover, with the infusion of transcendent energy from the mythical world, the combination of transcendent strength and advanced science caused the Blue Planet—also a recipient of Ancient Civilization legacies—to experience a rapid surge in power.

However, Chen Chu wasn’t interested in any of that. What he truly cared about were the complete cultivation arts.

The relics of the Void Continent offered only fragmented inheritances—just partial cores of power. While this allowed the human race to carve out their own path, it also imposed significant limitations.

All human kings, even supreme powerhouses like Qian Tian, had reached an impasse in their cultivation. They had to forge forward slowly, creating the path themselves.

The two of them reached the training field below, drawing Shi Feirou’s attention. "Everyone, keep cultivating on your own. If you have questions, wait till I get back."

After speaking, the tall, voluptuous Shi Feirou walked over to Chen Chu with a smile. "Mr. Chen, your injuries have healed?"

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Mhmm, I’ve recovered." Chen Chu nodded, then got straight to the point. "I’d like to see the cultivation arts you’ve collected—anything and everything, not just the body enhancement arts."

Shi Feirou nodded without hesitation. "No problem. But Mr. Jiang keeps all the records. Please, come with me."